NFL Team Valuations

#23 Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals
are owned by William Bidwill,
who bought them in
1932
for $50,000.

Player-costs-to-win ratio8 158Coach Ken Whisenhunt

Metro area population: 4,282,000Revenue per fan: $24

Sport: Portion of franchise's value attributable to revenue shared among all teams.
Market: Portion of franchise's value attributable to its city and market size.
Stadium: Portion of franchise's value attributable to its stadium.
Brand Management: Portion of franchise's value attributable to the management of its brand.

The skinny
After winning only eight games during the regular season, the Cardinals came just short in the most-watched Super Bowl ever, losing 27-23 to the Steelers in last year's title game. The Cardinals have racked up solid profits in their new stadium thanks to new revenue streams and reasonable player costs. The 2008 NFC champs were $8 million under the league's $116 million salary cap and heading into the 2009 campaign the Cardinals were $20 million below the cap. It took little time for the team to capitalize on its Super Bowl appearance, raising ticket prices for lower-level season tickets (to $63 from $60, to $73.50 from $70 and to $97.50 from $92.50) despite the recession.

Facility Information

Revenue and operating income are for 2008 season and net of revenue sharing and stadium debt service.1Value of team based on current stadium deal (unless new stadium is pending) without deduction for debt (other than stadium debt).2Current team value compared with latest transaction price.3Includes stadium debt.4Net of stadium revenues used for debt payments.5Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.6Includes benefits and bonuses.7Includes club seats.8Compares the number of wins per player payroll relative to the rest of the NFL. Postseason wins count twice as much as regular season wins. A score of 120 means that the team achieved 20% more victories per dollar of payroll compared with the league average.9Average 2008 rating in local market for regular season games from Nielsen.
NA: Not applicable.
Team Logos Courtesy NFL.
Photos: Rick Stewart/Getty Images; AP Photo/Paul Spinelli; Getty Images